Nation & World

<< Previous   of   Next >>   ADVERTISEMENT   CONTACT THE HERALD Do you have a news tip? newstips@heraldnet.com | 425.339.3400   Published: Sunday, January 4, 2009 Coroner IDs victims in Santa-suit slayings Associated Press COVINA, Calif. -- The Los Angeles County coroner's office has identified six of the nine people killed when a man dressed as Santa Claus attacked his ex-wife's family on Christmas Eve. Bruce Pardo, distraught over his divorce, shot up the home in Covina where his ex-wife and her family had gathered and then sprayed the house with flammable gas, authorities said. He was burned when the gas ignited and later fatally shot himself. Coroner's Lt. Larry Dietz said Saturday that the office identified the bodies of the ex-wife's parents: Joseph Ortega, 80, of Covina, who died from multiple gunshot wounds, and Alicia Ortega, 70, who was shot in the abdomen. Also killed were Teresa Ortega, 51, who was shot in the leg but died from burns and smoke inhalation; Alicia Ortiz, 46, of Upland; and Charles Ortega, 50, of West Covina and his wife, Cheri, 45. Ortiz, Ortega and his wife died of multiple injuries, including burns, gunshot wounds and smoke inhalation. Three bodies remain unidentified. Covina police said three people are listed as missing: the ex-wife, Sylvia Pardo, 43; Teresa Ortega's husband James, 52, and Michael Ortiz, the 17-year-old son of Alicia Ortiz. Pardo, a laid-off aerospace worker, apparently shot some of his nine victims execution-style in a plot to destroy his ex-wife's family after a costly divorce. READER COMMENTS Be the first to comment. You must be a registered user and verify your e-mail address to post comments to blogs or articles on HeraldNet. To register, click here. To read other terms and conditions, click here. Log out

1. Girl's death in car crash stuns Granite Falls 2. 787 starts ‘final gantlet' of tests before first flight 3. Inmates to help families of police 4. Lewd baristas face stricter rules 5. Swine flu shots to be available to all in county 6. Woman who died in fire named 7. Roe picked as interim prosecutor 8. Gregoire's budget offers no easy way out of deficit 9. Payout of $44.7 million to clean up Asarco contamination in Everett 10. Roche Harbor's second derby a big hit 2 - Top 10 Stories Most Talked about 3 - Top 10 Stories Most Emailed

• Zambian woman thanks students for their help • Food banks see rise in use • ‘Making Spirits Bright’ in Edmonds • Wolfpack takes aim at state • Seahawks help students smile • 95 and still volunteering • Sno-King joined by local TV king • Veterans back for Wildcats • Lynnwood seeks to plug $2 million budget gap • Snohomish County offers the best and most affordable venues for conferen ... • Boeing will build, flight test and deliver 787s in South Carolina to spe ... • Snohomish County EDC promoting job growth in key industry clusters • $4 million grant to advance brain tumor research has Everett links • Providence medical center construction tops off its 12-story steel frame ... • Tulalip affordable housing project to be financed by KeyBank, Raymond Ja ... • Arlington's Lak of Ink has a growing following for Luke Kooyman's creati ... • Bank of the Northwest formed